Preserving-container



w. w. PALMER.

PRESERVING CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,1918.

I E 1 I l I I I l I l I I I I I I I l I 1 I I I I I I I z 1 I l I l I lI Patented June 15, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER, W. PALMER, F MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF'TOWALTER R. MCCOY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. I I

PRESERVING-CONTAINER.

ieaasre.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patanted J n 15 1929 rApplication filedJuly 3, 1918. Serial No. 243,179.

T 0 (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER W. PALMER, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, county of Essex,and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and use fulImprovements in Preserving-Containers, fully described and representedin the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming apart of the'same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in containers forshipping and storing and has for its object to produce an improvedcontainer which shall be eflicient and inexpensive in construction forthe purpose indicated. I

In a more limited aspect, the object of the invention is to produce acontainer for use in preserving and shipping medical specimens, such,for instance, as specimens of urine. i

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out.

The drawing represents in vertical section a preferred form of theimproved container.

In carrying the invention into effect, the interior of the container hasapplied thereto a deposit of a soluble preservative in dry form. The useofthe preservative in dry form presents many advantages, particularly inthe preparation and subsequent use of the container, as the containersmay be easily prepared and 'no special care is necessary to keep thepreservative in condition for use. Further, the dry coating of thepreservative enables very limited quantities to be used, that is,quantities not in excess of those necessary for the preservation of thesubstances placed in the container.

Much difficulty has been met in the preservation of medical specimens,and particularly urine, due to the fact that only very limitedquantities of the preservatives are required, and if excessive amountsare used, the characteristics of the urine are changed, so that thesubsequent analysis is affected and inaccurate results obtained.

In the preferred construction, and particularly where the container isto be used for the storage and shipment of urine specimens, thecontainer will be formed as illustrated in the drawing, that is, it willhave a vertical 'wall 1, and a conical base portion 2. This constructionadapts the container to -be placed directly in a centrifuge machinewhich is used in the analysis of urine specimens. In the practice which,obtain s at present, the specimens are shipped in containers and whenthey are to be analyzed, they have to be emptied into glass receptaclesof the shape shown in the drawing, these latter receptacles being,placed in the centrifuge machine. The transfer from the shippingreceptacles to the centrifuge receptacles requires considerable time,and unless considerable care is exercised, mistakes are liable to occurin transferring the identifying marks of the shipping container to thecentrifuge receptacle, so that the identity of the specimen is lost. 'Itwill be readily understood that if the wrong identification marks areplaced on the centrifuge receptacles serious mistakes will occur.

While the improved containers maybe prefill them with a forty per cent.solution of formalin, the containers being then emptied,

allowed to drain, and thoroughly dried. When dry, the interior of thecontainer will have thereon a thin de osit of a dry formaldehyde, theformalde yde specified being usually termed paraformaldehyde. This paredin various ways, a simple method is to a thin-deposit will be found tobe entirely sufficient for preservative purposes and yet will not besufficient to affect the characteristics of specimens placed therein.

It is the practice among the larger insurance companies to require allurine speci mens to be sent to the home office for analysis. Thesespecimens are frequently along time in transit and the problem ofproperly preserving them has been a serious one. Attempts to furnish thephysicians who collect the specimens with preservatives to be usedvtion, the container will be made of a pyroxylin composition andpreferably pyroxylin compositions in which camphor is used.

has been found in practice that the desired ble products having on itsinterior a thin,

dry deposit of a formaldehyde.

3. A preserving container for decomposable products made from apyroxylin composition and having on its interior a thin, dry deposit ofa soluble preservative.

. 4. A preserving container for decomposable products made from apyroXylin composition and having on its interior a thin, dry deposit offormaldehyde.

5. A preserving container for decomposable products made from acamphorated pyroxylin composition and having on its interior a thin, drydeposit of a soluble preservative. i

6. A preserving container for decomposable products made from acamphorated pyroxylin composition and having on its interior a thin, drydeposit of a formaldehyde.

,7. A preserving container for decomposable products adapted for use ina centrifuge machine, said container having a conical base portion andhaving on its interior a thin dry deposit of a soluble preservative.

8. A preserving container for decomposabase portion and being made froma camphorated pyroxylin composition and having on its interior a thin,dry deposit of a soluble preservative.

10. A preserving container for decomposable products adapted for use ina centrifuge machine, said container having a conical base portion andhaving on its interior a thin, dry deposit of a formaldehyde.

- 11. A preserving container for decomposable products adapted for usein a centrifuge machine, said container having a conical base portionand being made from .a pyroxylin composition and havin on its interior athin, dry deposit of a forma dehyde.

12. preserving container for decomposable products adapted for use in acentrifuge machine, said container having a conical base portion andbeing made from a camphorated pyroxylin composition and having on itsinterior a thin, dry deposit of a formaldehyde. In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand.

WALTER W. PALMER.

Witnessesz F. V. Grows, A. D. Nnr.

